


Diverted

by riya



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Accidentally setting myself up for coming-out-of-the-closet jokes, Developing Relationship, Dorm Life - Freeform, M/M, Romance, Senpai guilt, Social Links, The author’s apparent doorway fetish
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-28
Updated: 2014-11-20
Packaged: 2018-02-23 01:19:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 10,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2528723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/riya/pseuds/riya
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A romantic comedy about being sleazy to save the world.  </p>
<p>(But mostly an excuse to let these two flail cutely at one another.)</p>
<p>~~ Set early in-game, spoiler-free.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Minato trudged back to the dorm through the gathering darkness, wallowing in his unusual bad mood. Life had just thrust yet another annoying complication upon him, and he had reached the limits of his tolerance and good nature.

Shoving the door open crossly, he waved a half-hearted greeting towards the couches and headed straight for the restroom. It didn't make him feel any better, but at least it got him through without having to speak to anyone. From there he could easily reach the stairs and escape to his room. He didn't even have the patience to announce they weren't going to Tartarus that night. _I'm fed up with duty and responsibility,_ he thought as he climbed. _Tonight, they can figure it out for themselves._

He turned quickly into the boy's hallway at the top of the stairs, when a friendly voice floated over from the sitting area. 

"...Where have you been?" it asked.

"Improving social links," he replied curtly.

Half a step later, he froze. Turning slowly to face the source of the voice, he groaned inwardly at the questioning eyebrow quirked in his direction.

Ikutsuki-san had interviewed Minato regarding his special multiple-persona abilities, but he never knew how much of that knowledge had been shared with the rest of the SEES team. Plus, Minato instinctively knew better than to mention Igor and the contract and the Velvet Room to anyone. He'd somehow managed to state that he could merge personas to create new, stronger personas while glossing over exactly how that occurred. All that effort to successfully dodge bullets during the Chairman's interview... He'd kept social links and the voices in his head a secret from everyone, and now he might have ruined it all by not paying attention. Minato sighed. He doubted this day could get any more aggravating. 

"What d'you mean?" asked Akihiko as Minato walked back towards the lounge, to dig himself out of the hole he'd just created.

"I, um, was just hanging out with a friend. You know, our social links with others are an important source of rest and rejuvenation!" _Oh god, that was pathetic._

Akihiko peered at him closely. "I have to say, you look anything but rejuvenated, Minato-san. Is everything alright?"

Minato shifted awkwardly from one foot to the other. _He's never going to believe me at this rate. I can't just walk away without making him suspicious._ He dropped dejectedly onto one of the padded benches. "Well, no. I do have a problem." 

Akihiko nodded, his eyes sympathetic.

"I befriended this girl, a sophomore. She was terrified of boys and painfully shy. I kept seeing her in the hallway, cowering by one of the bulletin boards, so I started talking to her. It took a couple days before I could say more than one sentence each time. But I liked the challenge of getting her to open up." 

Akihiko smiled slightly at this. 

_True, if anyone understands the lure of a challenge, it's Akihiko._

"So now we're friends," Minato continued. "The last time we hung out, we were at the mall, and I told off some jerk who gave her a hard time. Then today, well," he grumbled, "now she seems to think we have some kind of relationship." 

"Girls think all kinds of things!" exclaimed Akihiko. "I should know! You can't let that determine your life." 

_Except...I can't let this ruin the Justice arcana._

"Stop spending time with her. You can't talk girls out of crushes — it only makes things worse." 

_But what about the other arcana? Do I have to choose Justice over Strength, if I can't spend time with Yuko_ and _Chihiro?_

"And a clingy girl is _not_ going to understand when you take us to Tartarus instead of going out with her."

_And I bet there's other social links I don't even know about. It's not my fault if some of them turn out to be girls!_

"So better to break it off now — it'll only be messier later."

"Ugh! There's no way out of this! I should only hang out with boys from now on." _...Was that out loud?_

"Or there's that route...." Akihiko's lips twiched in amusement. "She'd probably get the message if you got yourself a boyfriend."

Minato ducked his head and blushed. "That's not what I meant."

"No, it's the perfect solution." Akihiko chuckled. "You can get Junpei-san to help you out. He's a little girl-crazy, but if he turns up the gangly friendliness a notch or two, it could be convincing enough." His smile widened into a smirk. 

Minato shoved himself up from the bench, suddenly angry. "You know, I thought you were the serious one. I'm not in the mood for this." 

He stalked off down the hallway, just as Mitsuru topped the staircase.

"Was that Arisato?" she queried.

"Um, yeah. He's gone."

"Is there a problem, Akihiko?"

Akihiko cleared the embarrassment from his throat. "No, I think we just need to give him some space."

"Oh." She nodded. "Well, that answers my question — we won't be going to the tower tonight." She nodded again firmly, satisfied with her conclusion, and about-faced right back down the stairs. "Have a good evening," she called over her shoulder. 

"Yes, you too," he replied absent-mindedly. 

He stared at a spot on the floor, disheartened. "Perhaps a little less with the joking next time I try to cheer someone up," he muttered.

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Minato lay on his back staring at the ceiling, not thinking. Not thinking was nice. No shadows, no social links, no studying, no headphones even. It was peaceful and quiet in the dorm. Only the distant sound of a dog barking, which helpfully kept the silence from ringing in his ears. 

It must be late. He'd heard Junpei shamble down the hallway an hour ago, and that boy was never "early to bed." Several hours of not thinking were finally beginning to work their restful magic on him. He no longer felt frantic and frustrated. He yawned. _Good. Time to change and then I might actually be able to fall asleep._

_But if Pharos shows up tonight to tell me what phase the moon is in — which anyone can tell from a calendar — I'm hiding under the covers and ignoring him._

That decision made, he swung his feet around to the floor and sat up grasping the edge of the bed. There was a quiet tapping at the door.

"Come in?" he stage whispered, not particularly sure how well voices carried through the walls.

A penitent-looking Akihiko appeared in the open doorway.

"I'm sorry, about earlier," he said without preamble. "Don't know what got into me. You were confiding in me, and all I did was crack jokes and tell you how to conduct your personal life." He'd been addressing a spot on the floor halfway across the room, but as the apology concluded, his gaze finally lifted to Minato. 

And with a rush, more words suddenly came out of his mouth, these seemingly less planned. "The three of you have been performing so well, so soon after discovering your abilities. And you! You've been an amazing leader for the team. Which Mitsuru and I thrust you into with absolutely no warning. So if you're stressed, I feel responsible. I...need to be a better senpai." 

Minato rose to his feet. "Akihiko-senpai..."

Looking a bit shell-shocked by his own outburst, Akihiko took a step back across the threshold into the hallway.

"Wait!" Minato cried softly.

But it was too late. He'd already disappeared back into his own room, the door clicking shut faster than Minato would have thought possible.

_Guess someone else had a rough day too._


	2. Chapter 2

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Early the next morning, Minato loitered near the front steps of the dorm. He wore his blazer over his summer uniform, as it was early enough to still be chilly outside. He could have laid in wait any number of places inside the building, but he figured outside was better. So long as he had Akihiko's schedule pegged correctly and didn't run into anyone else first...

The front door opened and Akihiko came trotting down the steps. Minato hid a self-satisfied grin, swung out from his niche, and smoothly fell into step beside him. Akihiko glanced up in surprise but didn't say anything.

They strolled silently to Iwatodai Station, rode the monorail to Port Island, and passed through the Gekkoukan gates. After exchanging his shoes, Minato spun around, bowed slightly, and grinned widely at the older boy. "You have a great day, senpai." With that he was off across the lobby to the junior wing, before a response could be made.

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Pulling off that little maneuver put Minato in a good mood, which made the morning fly by. During lunch, Junpei and Yukari got into a very amusing argument, distracting him further. It wasn't until afternoon classes that he got back around to thinking about his problems.

_I really should have been more careful with Chihiro. Of course she'd fall for the first boy who tried to pull her out of her shell._

He leaned his chin heavily on his hand. _I just wanted to be her friend, not her boyfriend. Dating someone for the social link is even worse than just befriending them for it._

Minato was depressing himself again. He tried to refocus on the lecture, but Ms. Toriumi had begun talking about grammar. Minato wrinkled his nose. Grammar was definitely not interesting enough to keep his attention today.

 _I can't believe I got so upset, though. I picked a fight with Akihiko-senpai! That's far worse for the team than messing up one of the arcana._ He frowned unhappily.

Lost in his thoughts, Minato didn't notice that the teacher had fallen silent. "Dude, what's wrong with Ms. Toriumi?" hissed Junpei. Minato looked up to see her gazing straight at him with a troubled expression. He raised his eyebrows questioningly.

She grew flustered and looked down, both hands fluttering up to tuck her hair behind her ears. "Sorry about that!" her voice boomed out, a bit too loudly. "I was just thinking it's time we moved on to your vocabulary lesson."

"But we just started grammar," Junpei grumbled, shuffling textbooks along with the rest of the class. "I'm bad enough at this stuff, I won't learn anything if we skip around so much!"

Minato smiled at him reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll help you study it later."

"Hey..." Junpei objected, throwing his hands over his shoulders. "I didn't say I wanted that...."

Minato just shook his head affectionately. "Well, whatever you want." Facing front again, he looked up at Ms. Toriumi, but she was resolutely gazing towards the back of the room.

He shrugged. _Whatever THAT meant..._

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Grateful that classes were finally over for the day, Minato stood up and stretched. _I should work on a social link...but ugh, I still don't even want to_ think _about any of it._ He sighed and pondered for another minute. _I guess I'll go to kendo practice. Maybe I'll feel better after some exercise._

He exited the classroom and turned right down the hallway, heading towards the back stairs and the gym area. Suddenly, someone grabbed him hard by the wrist and yanked him sideways.

He fell through a doorway, which shut behind him, cutting off most of the light. Minato blinked, trying to identify his assailant.

"Senpai!!" he accused. "What are you _doing_??" He looked around. "In the cleaning closet?"

"Saving you from her. We never actually talked about what you were gonna do." Akihiko cracked the door open and peered out. "Where is she?"

Minato tugged his blazer back into alignment. "It's Friday. She's not around on Fridays. As long as I don't go to Student Council today, I'll be safe."

"Oh. Good." Akihiko closed the door again. "So when's she around next?"

"Tomorrow." Minato sat down mournfully on an overturned bucket. "But so's Yuko, and she's not free very often."

"What, you've got _two_ girls?"

"So far. I'm sure it only gets worse from here." Minato knew he was just baiting Akihiko to ask questions, but he didn't really care anymore.

"You know, you don't have to date them if you don't like them."

"Hmmph." Minato crossed his arms and made a face.

"You really _shouldn't_ date them if you don't like them. What's up with you?"

"I don't have that much freedom in my relationships, Akihiko. _I_ have to be nice to everyone," Minato grumbled petulantly.

Akihiko gestured with barely restrained impatience. "You can be nice to people without spending all your free time with them. You've got a lot going on — it's okay to say 'no' sometimes."

"It's _not that simple,_ Akihiko," Minato ground out.

" _Then explain it,_ Minato." Akihiko loomed over him, arms crossed and chin thrust out defiantly.

Minato exploded. "FINE!" His arms burst out to grab onto the bucket and he leaned forward, shouting directly up at Akihiko. "You wanna know? It's how I make my personas stronger. If I develop relationships with people, they get stronger. A LOT stronger. How _else_ do you think I'm keeping pace with all of you when I use a different persona every battle? So while I feel like I'm using everyone I call a friend, I'm doing it to keep you guys safe."

Turning his head away, he continued in a quiet voice, "If I try my best _every single day_... Then if something ever goes wrong in Tartarus, at least I'll have that to hold onto."

Several moments of silence passed. Akihiko let out a heavy breath, as if he'd been holding it in.

"The 'social links,' huh?" he asked.

Minato nodded.

"Which is why a friend is great but a girlfriend is trouble," Akihiko continued. "Jealousy."

"Especially her," Minato interjected, reanimated by the topic at hand. "Presumably I could be friends with other girls for longer before this happened, but she's...in ill health because she's lost sleep dreaming about me. After only four dates!"

Akihiko managed to suppress his snicker for about five seconds. "You have to be kidding, man."

Minato deflated again. "I wish I was." In the background, Akihiko's snicker crescendoed into something suspiciously like a cackle.

"Okay," he sniffed, wiping his eyes. "What we need is a game plan."

Somehow, Minato wasn't offended by the laughing this time. He felt — surprisingly — hopeful. Akihiko couldn't make the social links stop objectifying his friendships, he couldn't make Chihiro stop liking him _that way_ , he couldn't really fix anything. But having shared his secret with someone, someone he actually trusted, was enough to make Minato feel better.

"No, what we need to do is get out of this closet!" he shot back. "Then we'll talk strategy."

Akihiko's eyes glowed back at him. "Deal."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Seriously, the "out of the closet" part was completely unintentional. They're in a closet! Eventually they will need to leave! How else can that go?! *sigh*


	3. Chapter 3

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Sneaking out of the janitorial closet without being seen was far more exciting that it should have been. It felt like a military mission: Akihiko resumed his lookout at the door, identified a safe moment, and whispered "go, go, go, go!" while shoving Minato out. Minato recovered smoothly, adjusting his tie with studied nonchalance as he meandered down the hallway. He paused at the top of the stairs, hands pocketed as usual, and jerked his head back to signal the all-clear.

Keeping up the intrigue, Minato immediately headed down the stairs instead of watching Akihiko exit the closet. He didn't stop until he was off school property. He then had the pleasure of shanghai'ing Akihiko for the second time that day, leaping out at him from the behind one of the large gate pillars. Akihiko rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

"Come on!" cried Minato, feeling like an overexcited puppy. "We've escaped, let's run!" He grabbed the other boy's hand and took off, dragging him down the street.

"Come on," he cajoled, "you're not helping! You skipped your training today, didn't you? Gotta fit it in somewhere."

That jab landed effectively. Akihiko took off, and they raced down the road, competing to stay in front and force the other to be pulled along.

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Reaching the entrance to Port Island station, Minato paused to catch his breath. "Guess," he gasped, "guess that was a tie."

"Yeah," puffed Akihiko. "We'll call it a draw."

Both realized simultaneously that they were still holding hands. They abruptly let go and looked in opposite directions.

"Your gloves...they're softer than I thought they'd be." Minato wanted to smack himself as soon as the words left his mouth. _That's supposed to make this moment LESS awkward??_

Akihiko made a strained noise. "Um, good to know?"

Minato's cheeks colored again. _I must vow to stop doing things that make me blush! What's wrong with me this week?_

He scuffed his left foot on the ground, and stuck his hands back in his pockets, a self-comforting gesture. "So, um, we were gonna talk." He cursed himself for screwing up the good mood with his silliness. _I just can't keep my mouth shut — I give my secrets away AND make idiotic comments._

"Minato-san." Akihiko touched his arm. "Stop beating yourself up."

"Oh." Minato looked up guiltily. "You could tell?" Akihiko's eyes looked kind again, like they did last night, but that almost made him blush again.

Akihiko nodded towards the turnstiles. "Come on, we'll miss the next train."

Minato scurried a few steps to catch up with him.

Akihiko looked askance at him. "So," he began purposefully, "question one: are you attracted to this girl?"

Minato shook his head.

Akihiko snorted. "What, obsessiveness not a turn-on?"

"No," Minato replied decisively. He swore he saw Akihiko give him an appraising glance.

"Question two: is there value in dating her anyway?"

"Yeah, there is. It'll power up my Justice arcana...and I like those persona."

Akihiko was silent for a moment. "I see what you mean. It really does feel wrong to think about it this way."

Minato breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you understand," he gushed. "I mean, I've met some really interesting people — there's this sweet old couple, and a little girl, and this woman online who has a stressful job... I've had fun being forced to make new _friends_ , but being forced to date someone is entirely different."

In a serious voice, Akihiko said, "This runs counter to everything I believe about not encouraging girls...but I think you should keep going out with this sophomore."

"Really?"

"Just because she got attached to you so quickly, doesn't mean you shouldn't get a normal amount of time to determine _your_ feelings. Go on a few more dates, coincidentally improving your 'social link,' and then evaluate whether the relationship is working for you."

"You make it sound so...reasonable."

"Good. I can't guarantee it'll make sense to female-logic, but at least she gets to be happy for a little longer before her feelings get hurt. Since that seems inevitable, I have to advise you put the good of the team first. Tartarus is only going to get harder for us."

"Akihiko-senpai?"

"Yeah?"

"Regardless of what you said last night —" Minato was interrupted by Akihiko clearing his throat loudly in embarrassment. "Regardless," he repeated, peering intently at the older boy, "I think you're a fantastic senpai. You've taught me a lot."

Minato was pleased to notice he wasn't the only one with a tendency to blush.

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They grabbed some food at Iwatodai Station, eating it outside on a bench in the nice weather. Akihiko was a quick and efficient eater, which Minato appreciated after so many lunches with Junpei. Junpei tended to make a mess, and always tried to steal his leftovers.

The walk back to the dorm was as quiet as the same walk had been that morning. Minato couldn't help but reflect on how much better he felt today than yesterday. He no longer carried a heavy secret alone, he had a plan for dealing with Chihiro, and he seemed to have become friends with Akihiko. _I almost don't know how to recognize friendship anymore, without a portentous announcement in my head!_ Minato chuckled to himself.

His silly good mood seemed to be returning. _I've got so much energy!_ he thought. _We should totally go to Tartarus tonight. I can try out that awesome sword I just got from Elizabeth. Though it_ is _hard to get the jump on shadows with a two-handed sword... Maybe I'll give it to Junpei instead, if I can pry that spiked bat out of his hands._

The lounge was unusually empty when they arrived home. "How was your day?" Fuuka asked, smiling beatifically at them from the couch.

Minato opened his mouth to say something polite, when Akihiko jumped in. "Oh, Minato-san has a dreadful cold." Minato looked at him suspiciously. "I ran into him on the street," Akihiko continued, staring pointedly back at him. "He was so weak. I took him for some soup and helped him walk home." Minato shrugged and turned towards Fuuka, nodding. He punctuated it with a pathetic sniffle.

"Oh that's terrible!" cried Fuuka, her maternal instincts flaring. "You should help him straight to bed. I'll make sure to tell everyone that we aren't going to Tartarus."

"Thanks, Fuuka-san," Akihiko intoned solemnly.

Minato started a slow shuffle across the room, leaning on Akihiko with his left arm as if too tired to carry his own weight. Fuuka's empathetic gaze watched their progression. After they passed behind the dining room screen, the sounds of typing resumed and she murmured out loud, "Poor Minato-kun. Akihiko-senpai is so very kind...."

Safely out of sight on the steps, Minato grabbed his arm back and used it to elbow Akihiko in the ribs. "You totally played her!" he hissed. "You are SO lucky no one else was around. They'd see right through you."

"And who played along?" Akihiko retorted, bounding ahead to check the second floor for other residents.

"I only did it so you wouldn't seem like a LIAR."

"Keep your voice down, you're supposed to be sick.

"Besides," he continued, turning back and grabbing Minato's hand to draw him up the last few steps. "I wasn't ready to share you yet."


	4. Chapter 4

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Startled into silence by Akihiko's words, Minato let himself be led down the hallway and into his own room without complaint.

He stood in the middle of the carpet, his mind as blank as his expression. Akihiko loitered near the desk, gazing thoughtfully at his hands. He then methodically loosened and removed his gloves, setting them down on the desk.

_I don't think I've ever seen his hands before... How strange that he'd take his gloves off now._ With a concerted effort, Minato roused himself from his staring. He coughed to clear his throat.

"So um, did you...plan that?"

"No," admitted Akihiko, with the ghost of a guilty smile. He walked behind Minato and tugged at the shoulders of his blazer. Minato squinted at him in confusion, but let him remove the jacket. "I just took advantage when the opportunity presented itself." 

"What, the vast opportunities presented by the question 'How was your day?'?" Minato scoffed towards Akihiko's retreating back.

Akihiko spoke clearly as he buttoned the blazer and hung it neatly in the closet. "Presented by Fuuka's question, _your_ compliance, and the fact that no one else seems to be home yet?" He spun around, closing the closet door and affixing Minato with a _look_. "Yes."

"Oh," said Minato in a tiny voice, suitably chastened even though he still didn't understand Akihiko's point. His jovial mood had evaporated; now he just felt confused. His feet seemed glued to the floor.

Akihiko was walking towards him again. Minato watched his approach warily. When Akihiko stopped in front of him and raised one hand, Minato's breath caught in his throat...only to escape in a startled choke when Akihiko grasped at the left earpiece of his headphones. That shocked Minato more than almost anything else Akihiko could have done with that hand.

He wanted to say something, wanted to protest that no one touched his headphones, let alone _removed_ them. Except obviously that wasn't true anymore. Akihiko set about untwisting the cords, straightening out the kinks they'd developed as Minato put his blazer on and off that day, and disentangling them from his shirt collar. He then carefully lifted the lanyard over Minato's head, his hands brushing Minato's hair against his ears. The music player dangled tantalizingly in front of his nose as Akihiko slid the lanyard past the back of his skull. Minato resisted the urge to snatch it out of mid air, even as it bumped into the tip of his nose at the last second.

Akihiko efficiently folded the cords together and set the bundle on the desk next to his gloves. It looked symbolic somehow: those two items nestled together on the otherwise empty desk, astonishing that either of them was separated from its owner. Minato felt naked without the sensation of his headphones hanging against his chest. He wondered if Akihiko felt the same without his gloves.

Akihiko was moving _again_. He started to pull the desk chair out and turn it around to face the room, but Minato was largely in the way. Feeling foolish that he'd been standing in the same spot for almost five minutes, while Akihiko flitted about like he owned the place, Minato abruptly took a big step backwards. Akihiko smiled in thanks and sat down on the chair, hands primly clasped around his knee in his usual fashion.

"So!" he asked, in an oddly bright tone of voice, "what shall we do?"

Minato's jaw nearly dropped in disbelief. _This was YOUR idea!_ he thought furiously. _We didn't NEED a cover story to get out of going to Tartarus, but you gave one anyway, and now you want me to be entertaining?_

"I don't know," he said, in a carefully neutral voice. "Can't say there's much to do in here."

"Yeah, it's pretty sparse." Akihiko's neck craned as he looked around. "You should put some decorations up, personalize it a bit."

Minato shrugged indifferently. "Like what? The Kirijo Group gave me everything I need, and money from Tartarus is for stuff like medicine and new armor."

"Always so serious, you are," replied Akihiko with a twitch of the lips.

"Because you — Mr. I-Live-For-Training — are just the life of the party," Minato scoffed again. He didn't know why he was being so prickly...feeling confused just made him defensive. This was all getting too weird. Maybe he didn't understand his senpai as much as he'd thought.

"I live for my training because I like it. And I like knowing that I can rely on my physical strength when I need it." Akihiko uncrossed his legs and leaned forward on his elbows to peer at Minato. "You live for...?" he trailed off.

Minato was suddenly agitated. "I'm in charge. I take care of the team, I stay on top of my studies, and I raise my damn social links. Isn't that enough?? You think a couple posters on the wall are gonna fix anything?"

"Something's broken?" Akihiko asked softly.

"What?"

"You say posters won't cut it, but what needs to be fixed?"

"Nothing," Minato bit out impatiently. "I'm just saying I don't care about decorations."

"You're pretty fired up for 'don't care'."

"No I'm not."

"If you really didn't care we wouldn't still be talking about it," Akihiko pointed out, with a shrug.

"Why are you pressuring me to decorate?!"

"I'm not. I asked you what you live for."

Minato gave him an exasperated glare. "And how am I supposed to answer that?"

"It doesn't have to be big. My answer's _training_ , but it happens to be meaningful to me." 

Akihiko's calm demeanor was starting to get on Minato's nerves. "Of course," he replied with dripping sarcasm. "But training's no different than fighting in Tartarus, so your answer's no different than mine. Except mine's not good enough apparently."

"Ah, but you didn't say you lived for Tartarus — you just listed everything you do. ...Do you live for Tartarus?"

"No! I mean, it's fine. But who lives for killing things??"

"Not the act of killing, but maybe the motivation behind it?"

Minato flung an arm wildly in the air. "This is ridiculous! You stuck me in here for the night and now all you're doing is harassing me!"

Akihiko didn't reply immediately, just looked at him with his lips pressed together. Minato continued to fume internally, his resentment growing the longer the silence continued. _You're trying to make me feel immature, aren't you? I won't let you have the satisfaction!_ He huffed aloud in irritation.

Akihiko closed his eyes and slowly breathed out through his nose. Minato's eyes narrowed, still trying to gauge the other boy's intentions.

"I just think you should have something that makes you happy, however small it is. A plant on the windowsill, or freaking videogames like Junpei, I don't care. Just— do something you want to do, not only things the social links want you to do."

Akihiko rose to his feet, looking away. "Life's not only about responsibility. Just think about it, okay?"

Minato's brow furrowed in consternation. _He's...not trying to yell at me? Except that I'm supposed to relax?_

Akihiko sighed dejectedly towards the wall. "I'm sorry I made you angry, and I'm sorry I lied to Fuuka. Since we hammed it up so much downstairs, you probably don't wanna leave your room, so...text me if you need anything.

"I'll leave you alone now, okay?"

For the second time in as many days, Akihiko found himself outside Minato's room, running away from the emotional fallout he'd just created. He stood in the middle of the hallway and groaned aloud. "Way to make things better. AGAIN," he grumbled. 

"And _dammit_ I left my gloves in there." He eyeballed Minato's door over his shoulder and pondered which was the greater hardship: going without his gloves, or walking back in there. Heaving yet another sigh, he turned around to go retrieve them.

At that moment the door popped open. Minato's eyes went round with surprise to see him standing right there.

Akihiko quirked an eyebrow. "I forgot my gloves."

"Oh." Minato paused. "I—" Something creaked down the hallway and Minato leaped back behind his door. 

Akihiko scanned the shadowed lounge at the other end of the hallway. "Nah, I think the coast is still clear. Everyone must be out enjoying the weather or something."

Minato's eyes peeked back around the edge of the door. "Um. I'm sorry I yelled. Please come back?"

"You sure? I'm not pressuring you."

"Yeah. Please?"

Minato's question was simultaneously penitent and hopeful, and it caused butterflies to suddenly sprout in Akihiko's stomach. Suppressing that reaction and filing it away for later analysis, for the moment Akihiko let loose a huge, sincere grin.

"Absolutely," he replied. A moment later he regretted that he was already smiling as wide as he could, as he was grasped by the wrist and drawn back into Minato's room.


	5. Chapter 5

Having drawn Akihiko back inside, Minato pushed him gently towards the back of the room, and turned to close the door.

"Don't sit where you were before, or I'll feel like we're still fighting," he instructed.

Akihiko obediently headed past the chair and went to sit at the foot of the bed. Minato pushed the chair back in and sat against the headboard, facing Akihiko's profile. He pulled his knees against his chest and considered the other boy.

"So, a plant sounds good," he began earnestly. "Maybe one of those desert plants that don't need water, so I can't kill it very easily."

Akihiko shook his head. "It was just a random suggestion, you know. You don't have to get a plant.

"Though," he continued, trying to school his voice into a contemplative tone, "some posters really would do wonders in here."

He looked up to make eye contact with Minato, and they both burst into helpless laughter. Akihiko curled forward into a ball and laughed until he was breathless. Minato's entire body jiggled up and down, until he finally released his grip on his knees and collapsed sideways across his pillow.

Akihiko finally stopped laughing when he completely ran out of air. He gasped repeatedly to get his breath back and used the bedpost to haul himself up again. Minato's giggles snuffled to an end, too. His bangs had slid to entirely cover the left side of his face, leaving one bright blue eye shining out. From his horizontal position, he smiled happily at the newly-upright Akihiko.

The beautiful smile hit Akihiko right in the gut. He had a sudden, nearly uncontrollable urge to brush the hair back off of Minato's face. The hand in his lap trembled with the effort of not moving.

Fortunately Minato didn't seem to notice, his voice interrupting before Akihiko's traitorous hand could fully rebel. "I'll be sure to get some. With cheesy pop bands on them. Brighten things right up."

"I'm glad you finally decided to listen to reason," Akihiko chuckled.

Minato's expression turned graver. He propped his head up on his fist and shook his bangs out of his face. That got rid of Akihiko's distraction, but not his dread of what Minato was planning to say.

"Next time you're concerned about me? Just say so, okay?"

Akihiko sighed. "I’m sorry for pushing. I just wanted you to...pay attention to yourself too." He fought the urge to blush. _That sounded so dorky._

"I didn’t understand at first. I thought you were…I don’t know — judging me. You unsettled me."

"Yeah, I went about that all wrong, didn’t I?" Akihiko gave an abashed smile.

Minato gasped indignantly. "You took off your gloves! And my _headphones!_ And asked me the meaning of life! Of course I was thrown off!"

"I didn’t think you’d admit that anything was wrong, unless I demonstrated it first."

"And all that...subterfuge, with removing my jacket and 'taking advantage of my compliance'? And I repeat, _removing your gloves??"_

Akihiko held out a bare hand to look at it. "I don't know why I took them off. But I was _trying_ to make you comfortable, not the opposite."

Minato half rolled his eyes, and shook his head resignedly. "Well, like I said, next time let's just talk."

Akihiko nodded, somewhat ashamed. Not a small part of his shame stemmed from the fact that he'd just avoided having to answer for most of his actions. Minato had _asked_ him about removing the jacket and headphones, but miraculously hadn't forced him to address those subjects in his answer. Akihiko was exceedingly grateful for that, as he'd only moments ago realized that he'd unconsciously been taking any excuse to touch Minato. Not having an alternative explanation prepared, the truth could have very easily slipped out of his mouth.

"But just so you know —" Minato sat up to emphasize his words. "The headphones? Are sacred. No touching." Minato's twinkling eyes belied his harsh tone.

"Duly noted," gruffed Akihiko. "My apologies, sir!"

Minato snorted, but then ducked his head in...embarrassment? Akihiko was confused.

"So, um," he said, "this is kinda embarrassing, but I need to use the bathroom."

Akihiko nodded in understanding. "And you can't go downstairs because everyone will be in the lobby."

"And if anyone sees me on my way to the fourth floor, they'll want to know why I went the long way when sick."

"I can go check the lounge on this floor for you, at least," offered Akihiko.

"Yeah, okay." Minato smiled gratefully.

Akihiko couldn't believe that he was already forgiven, when he was the one who'd created these obstacles for Minato. _I don't deserve to keep getting these smiles from him._ He paused before leaving the room and grinned over his shoulder. "Don't go anywhere."

Minato rolled his eyes. "Okay!" he exclaimed with sarcastic enthusiasm.

Clearing the wall at the end of the hallway, Akihiko was pleased to see an empty lounge. He peeked up the stairs, but didn't see anyone.

"Hey, senpai!" A loud voice came from behind him. Akihiko just barely suppressed a startled jump.

"Oh, hey Takeba."

"I heard Minato-kun isn't feeling well. That's too bad."

"Yeah..." Akihiko trailed off.

Yukari was looking at him expectantly. Apparently he was supposed to keep talking.

"He, um, texted me! He wanted a drink!" Akihiko strode swiftly over to the vending machine, digging some change out of his pocket and glad to have something to occupy his hands.

"Do you need any help, senpai?"

"No, no. No point in exposing another person to germs, right?" He chuckled awkwardly.

"True." She smiled widely. "You seem to have everything under control. It's so sweet of you to take care of him..." Her smile went a bit melty.

Akihiko grasped at something to change the subject. "Nice to have an evening off though."

Happily, Yukari was pretty easily distracted. She gave a dramatic groan. "Yeah, cuz I have the worst math assignment. Now that I have the whole night, maybe I can actually figure it out."

"Well you go get started!" Akihiko commanded encouragingly.

"Yes sir!" She saluted cheerfully. "Wish me luck!" she cried over her shoulder as she disappeared up the stairs.

Akihiko's shoulders slumped in relief. One SEES member out of the way. He stared menacingly at the down staircase, daring someone else to come up it. "Good," he muttered, when no one did.

He burst back into Minato's room. "Here," he said, thrusting the can at Minato.

"Um, I need the restroom, not more liquid!"

"I told Yukari I was buying you a drink. She...smiled at me funny for taking care of you." He shook his head as if to clear it. "Anyways, she went to do work in her room, so let's get going."

"Upstairs, then?"

"Yeah. I'll run interference for you." Minato nodded and followed him out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Akihiko plopped down on a bench in the no-man's-land of the fourth floor landing. He was exceedingly thankful to find it deserted like usual, because having to follow Minato into the bathroom would have been the extra-weird icing on his already bizarre day. He absently picked at a callus from his bladefist and pondered how on earth he'd ended up escorting Minato around the building.

He tensed when he heard a door shut on the floor below him. _You gotta be kidding..._ Indeed, the footsteps started up the stairs, not down — one of the girls heading to the bathroom. In a blink, Akihiko was through the men's room door. Minato shut off the tap and looked at him quizzically. 

"Shhh," breathed Akihiko, the sound more in his head than aloud, but the finger at his lips conveying the message clearly enough. He jerked his head sideways towards the other bathroom.

Minato nodded. "Should we wait them out?" He spoke quietly, but the bathrooms had terrible acoustics, so even the smallest noise bounced helter-skelter off the tiles, distorting and magnifying itself.

Akihiko all but tackled him. He pointed vigorously towards the exhaust vent, which permitted sound to travel easily between the two rooms. "Too loud," he murmured directly into Minato's ear. The fact that Minato twitched slightly when he did so did not go unnoticed. "First we should wait to see if they're using the shower or not."

Minato nodded silently. Akihiko squinted at him suddenly and shook his head. "Too neat," he mouthed with exaggerated motions, reaching to undo Minato's ribbon necktie. He opened buttons at the neck and tugged to loosen the shirttails. "Much better," he mouthed with an affirmative nod.

Minato moved closer to speak into Akihiko's ear. "I still don't hear anything from over there." His warm breath caressed the side of Akihiko's face, who hadn't realized before _quite_ how powerful the effect was. Unbidden, his head turned towards Minato, who was still standing extraordinarily close. Akihiko _knew_ that was so he could reach his ear to reply, but couldn't stop his brain from misinterpreting the gesture. He closed his eyes, tilted his head, and kissed Minato softly on the mouth. 

To his credit, Minato did not make a sound. His eyes flew open so wide they could have easily fallen out, but he did not make a sound — though Akihiko was too caught up to notice either way. His eyes finally drifted open blissfully — to the rude awakening of Minato's eyes not six inches away, staring at him in utter shock. Akihiko flushed a brilliant red and took a half step backwards to put a normal distance between them. The two boys remained otherwise immobile: Minato still staring as if Akihiko had transformed into a gryphon or something equally impossible, and Akihiko intensely interested in studying a cabinet handle off to the left.

They were finally released by the sound of a toilet flushing and the sink running next door. Akihiko heaved a sigh of relief as the door swung shut over departing footsteps. He glanced warily at Minato, who had an oddly determined look on his face. "Let's just go," Minato said quietly, "you've made me look the part; we can handle it if anyone sees us."

Akihiko nodded and led the way out the door. The unidentified girl had already made it back to her room, so after all that, the trip back was ironically uneventful.

Akihiko stopped to loiter nervously just outside Minato's room, unsure whether he was welcome and unsure whether _he_ wanted to go back in there. From inside, Minato sighed in exasperation. "Oh, get the hell in here." His hand snaked out to yank Akihiko inside.

"This time I'm not going to ask if you planned that," he declared, shoving Akihiko and the door in opposite directions, "because obviously you did. It all adds up."

Akihiko didn't have an answer for that. Arguing it seemed pointless, though he still wouldn't meet Minato's gaze.

"That's why you did...all that stuff. And why you 'didn't want to share' — you were _hitting_ on me!"

Rather than respond to Minato's outrage, Akihiko just shrank more into himself. He was furious that he'd acted so irresponsibly, and that he'd possibly wrecked the SEES group dynamic in the process. _Maybe we can just...not talk to each other outside Tartarus,_ he thought miserably.

"And I asked you for advice! Personal, _romantic_ advice! That has serious consequences!" Minato's tirade was gaining momentum, which was particularly striking from someone so typically laconic. By now he was pacing the room, waving his hands in agitation. Akihiko could scarcely tell if he was being yelled at or if Minato was just exclaiming to himself.

"And involved telling you all sorts of secrets I haven't told _anyone_!" That one earned Akihiko a reproachful glance. _Okay, clearly yelling at me._

"You _no longer_ qualify as an impartial adviser," Minato proclaimed, punctuating it with a vehement head waggle. "If I can trust anything you've said!"

That accusation finally jarred Akihiko out of his self-recrimination. He replied hotly, "I haven't been _plotting_ how to jump you, if that's what you're saying."

"You haven't been," repeated Minato flatly, standing still to cross his arms in obvious disbelief.

Akihiko shifted guiltily in place. "Well, not _consciously_..." he muttered.

"Hmmmm?" prompted Minato, loud and impatient.

"Oh come on, give me a break!" Akihiko complained, no dignity left to lose. "What idiot tries to seduce someone in the restroom anyway? Don't you think I could've planned something better than that if I was actually trying?"

"And what do you call everything from before that, if NOT a grand master plan?" Minato demanded, still unconvinced.

"Instinct?" offered Akihiko with a hopeful expression.

Minato scoffed in disgust at that response and flung a dismissive hand in the air as he stomped off towards the other end of the room. He dropped hard onto the edge of the bed and crossed his arms again. "You're impossible," he spit out, but there wasn't much venom behind his words.

"Well it's _true_ ," grumbled Akihiko under his breath.

Minato raised a completely exasperated eyebrow at him, and held it until Akihiko figured out why. 

"It's TRUE," repeated Akihiko, louder and plaintively. He paused, continuing in a much quieter voice, scarcely louder than the mumble that had just gotten him in trouble, "I didn't...realize what I was doing. It _was_ instinct, all of it."

Minato must have heard him despite the muttering, because his posture softened ever so slightly.

Akihiko turned towards the desk with determination, grabbing his gloves and stuffing them into his back pocket. Picking up the music player, he crossed the room carefully, cradling it in both hands.

Arriving at the bed, he held it out to the other boy like an offering. "I want to give this back to you. I shouldn't have taken it."

Minato considered him for a moment, his inscrutable gaze alternating between Akihiko's hands and face. Akihiko held his breath, waiting for Minato to pass judgment on him. With one sudden, simultaneous motion, Minato grabbed the music player with his left hand, bringing it back down to the bed, and fisted his right hand in Akihiko's vest, pulling the other boy down to his level. "You?" he murmured silkily. "Just need to commit more." And Minato kissed him as hard as he could.


	7. Chapter 7

Akihiko’s body melted into the kiss, not stopping to question the suddenness or complete irrationality of Minato’s change of heart. His hands, having barely behaved themselves all afternoon, immediately seized the opportunity to bury themselves in Minato’s thick shock of hair. Tilted forward, he was held up mostly by Minato’s mouth against his, and the firm grip the other boy had on his vest.

Minato used his grip to settle Akihiko back onto his heels, their lips separating with a soft pop. He couldn’t control the smile that bloomed across his face.

Akihiko remained frozen where he was placed, arms still outstretched, the only sign of life his eyelashes fluttering softly against his cheeks. 

His eyes slowly peeled open. Minato gazed up at him, watching him look downward hazily and begin to register where he, and his hands, were. 

Akihiko released Minato’s head as if it was on fire and scrambled backwards across the room with a look of shock on his face. In his panic, he almost fell over the desk chair. Grabbing tipsily onto the back of it, he swung himself and the chair around, pointing it back at Minato like some sort of protective barrier.

Minato looked skeptical. “Really? A chair?”

“You did that! Not me!” exclaimed Akihiko.

“Yes,” agreed Minato calmly.

Akihiko kept brandishing the chair at him, not acknowledging or even seeming to hear his reply. “That wasn’t, I didn’t mean —” He took an agitated breath, eyes flitting in every direction but Minato’s. 

“I’m sorry, about my hands,” he continued with barely a pause. “I can’t make them stay where I tell them to!” Akihiko glared at his hands, balling them into fists and shoving them behind his back in punishment. 

“But you —” he tried again, “That was…. It doesn’t —.” He broke off, slumping in frustration. 

Taking a deep breath, he burst out, “... _You_ kissed _me_!” An arm jabbed out to point emphatically at Minato and then at himself.

“Yes, I did.” 

Minato stood up slowly, so as not to alarm him further, but Akihiko hadn’t stopped his anxious babbling long enough to notice.

“Maybe I should go.” He nodded in swift agreement with himself, half turning to face the door and having to grab onto the chair again for balance. “The team might be suspicious, or want to know how you’re doing, or, or…” Akihiko trailed off nervously as he realized Minato was now standing just beyond his chair-shield.

Minato gently pried one hand, then the other, off the back of the desk chair. Gazing straight at Akihiko, he pushed the chair sideways and stepped forward into the gap it had occupied. Still refusing look up, Akihiko’s head followed the chair, watching it roll to a stop several feet away.

“And how _am_ I doing?” Minato asked softly. 

Akihiko shrugged noncommittally, the gesture awkward because Minato still held his left hand by the wrist. It remained clenched in the same curl of tension, as if imagining the desk chair back to deflect these lines of questioning.

“Akihiko...” Minato’s voice was warm and low and velvety, an infusion of support rather than a question.

The silver-haired boy took an anguished breath, and kept staring towards the chair.

Minato smoothed the fingers straight and laced them together with his. “Look at me,” he insisted quietly, “and tell me how I’m doing.”

Akihiko swallowed and finally lifted his eyes. Minato practically glowed.

“But you were angry,” Akihiko protested, brows still knit in consternation. 

“And now?”

Akihiko shook his head helplessly. 

Minato smiled patiently, and waited.

Akihiko had fought so hard before because he knew he’d be unable to look away. His eyes traced the blue strands framing Minato’s face, a halo sidelit as the sun began to angle directly through the windows. 

When it became clear Minato was going to wait him out, Akihiko sighed and then shrugged in concession. 

“...You look happy,” he said simply.

Minato nodded, still smiling. After a moment of beaming, he looked down shyly at their paired hands, tracing the side of Akihiko’s index finger with his thumb. “So, if you really _want_ , you could go check in with the team.

“Or maybe,” he peered through his eyelashes, his voice low, “you could stay here. With me.”

Minato’s hopeful gaze worked its way up to Akihiko's, but it was clear that he hadn't succeeded in breaking through. The older boy stared back at him unconvinced, sadness and confusion warring on his face. 

“But, you kissed me!” he repeated.

Minato sighed in defeat.

"On purpose!” Akihiko added insistently.

“So?” replied Minato, a bit of impatience creeping into his voice.

“After you —” Akihiko pulled his hand free and dragged it over his skull in bewilderment. “You yelled at me about _my_ ‘master plan,’ and then you...” He gestured at Minato, searching for words to encompass his behavior. “...went to some weird happy place without me!”

“You’re not getting it,” chided Minato gently.

“And _you're_ not making any sense!” cried Akihiko. His agitation was raising the tension in the room.

“I’m _trying_ to show you,” returned Minato, trying to not clench his teeth. “If you would just calm down long enough to —”

Akihiko interrupted, "Now _I'm_ the one overreacting?!” 

They faced off, glaring at one another.

Minato was starting to lose his cool. “Well, maybe you are!” he pronounced.

“You told me I needed to COMMIT!” accused Akihiko.

“Well, now I think you just need to shut up for a minute!”

Akihiko recoiled in offense. 

Angry at how terribly the conversation had gone awry, Minato finally snapped. With a near snarl he lunged at Akihiko, grabbing his collar in both hands. His momentum crashed them backwards into the desk but Minato didn’t seem to care. His mouth descended on Akihiko’s, their teeth colliding sharply as he cut off Akihiko’s startled cry.

Minato poured all his frustration into the kiss, everything he’d been attempting and failing to convey to Akihiko. It was more a kiss to be weathered than participated in, so he couldn’t really tell how Akihiko was responding — but in the moment, all he cared about was proving his point. The future would take care of itself.

For all his earlier fierceness, Minato ended gently, disengaging his teeth from Akihiko’s upper lip and soothing the spot with a kiss as he departed. 

Akihiko was caught half perched on the edge of the desk, half bent backwards over it, elbows and palms thrown in different directions to hold himself up. He slipped down an inch or two as Minato shifted back, letting his feet reach the ground again, but looked no less disheveled for it.

Minato wrenched his hips sideways to untangle his clothing from Akihiko’s belt, and took a half step backwards. 

"Now,” he growled, eyes blazing. “That’s how _I_ feel, but this is your choice. There’s the door, are you staying or are you leaving?”

Silence reigned like the calm after the storm. Akihiko cautiously levered himself upright. His eyes were rounder than Minato had ever seen them, and his sweater vest had slid off one shoulder.

He cleared his throat carefully. “I — I’m staying.” He fought hard to end it as a statement, but he couldn’t keep his eyebrows from floating up into question marks.

“Okay, then.” Minato nodded brusquely. “Good.” He reached forward to straighten Akihiko’s clothing, fussing awkwardly as if in guilt for having caused the disarray in the first place. His ferocity was starting to burn out, replaced by embarrassment and roiling uncertainty. 

His hands dropped back to his sides. “I guess I owe you an apology then. For all this.” 

“Maybe just...an explanation?” offered Akihiko. “You don’t have to apologize for anything.”

Minato’s expression was rapidly closing off, mortification closing in over his eyes.

“Hey,” interjected Akihiko, “why don’t we sit down, yeah?” He gestured Minato forward with a foot-long buffer of air, afraid to touch him lest he provoke some other extreme reaction. 

Minato nodded and went to sit on the bed, against the back wall with his knees curled tightly to his chest. Akihiko sat gingerly on the other end. 

Minato buried his entire face against his legs and wrapped his arms over his head. “What do you want to know?” came the muffled question.

For once Akihiko was free from the temptation to stare at Minato, but at the moment he was struggling to not curl into a sympathetic ball of misery himself. Instead he stared at the bedspread, tracing the stripes of bright light and shade thrown by the window frame.

He cleared his throat again, just so Minato wouldn't think he was trying the silent treatment. 

“Well. Um. ... _Are_ you mad at me?”

“Nooo,” came the tremulous answer.

"Okay. That's good.” He paused. “ ‘Cause...I couldn't really tell,” he admitted. 

“You _were_ mad at me at first… And then you were kissing me, then you were pissed off AND kissing me, and now you’re hiding.” Akihiko shrugged in exasperation. “I don’t know whether to believe the you that says I’m devious and manipulative, or the you that says ‘stay and make out with me!’”

Minato made an aggrieved noise but didn’t say anything.

“Everything you said about me was justified,” Akihiko continued. “But...also very confusing.”

“I know that,” warbled Minato without raising his head. “Look, I’m sorry I yelled at you. You can still leave if you want, we don’t have to keep talking about this.”

Silence fell over the room again. Akihiko gazed thoughtfully at the crown of blue hair facing him. Minato hugged his legs tighter, bracing for the response.

When Akihiko finally spoke, it was quiet, almost as if to himself. “I was so afraid I’d ruined everything... You are too important to me — to all of us — for me to risk that. Whatever it looked like, I would never take advantage of you.”

Akihiko looked down at his hands. “You’re just...hard to resist,” he muttered fervently. 

Minato raised his head slightly.

Akihiko blundered bravely on. “And I tried, but I _can't_. I mean, GOD, I kissed you in a bathroom — and I’d do it again. So is tackling me onto a desk _really_ something to be embarrassed about?”

In his fervor, Akihiko spun towards the other boy, forgetting about his facade of speaking into the room instead of at Minato. 

“Especially when I _liked_ it!” He smacked an open palm on the bed in frustration. “So can we be over this already, or what?!”

He cut off abruptly, remembering he had been trying to _not_ pressure Minato further. He faced outward again, gesticulating hands falling back into his lap. 

“So, um. _That’s_ how _I_ feel.” 

Akihiko was nodding faintly and seemed unable to stop. The room fell quiet again. 

He had no idea what he was going to do, if his little soliloquy failed to bring Minato around.

“For the record, I never said ‘stay and make out with me’,” observed Minato, now sitting upright.

Akihiko snapped back towards the other boy, breathless and hopeful. 

Minato foundered for a moment, ducking his head under the scrutiny, but he held up and smiled, nodding in affirmation.

“You didn’t?” Akihiko slid closer along the front edge of the bed. “I _must_ have misheard that then…” he pronounced in mock seriousness.

“Well, I’m just glad we got all that settled!” He winked at Minato, who stifled a giggle. “But…” he shrugged overdramatically, “if you _didn’t_ ask me to stay, I guess I need to get going…” 

“Akihiko.” Minato’s somber voice sliced through his goofy chatter.

Coldness smashed into Akihiko like a Bufudyne. “Yeah?” he asked instantaneously.

Minato gazed at him with wide, solemn eyes. “You should stay and make out with me.”

Too ecstatic to be mad, Akihiko leaped eagerly across the bed before the offer could be retracted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Brief epilogue to follow.


	8. Epilogue

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Shafts of goldenrod light filled the room, so thick they had a physical presence. One broad sunbeam struck the footboard and sent slices of warmth across the two boys cuddled on the bed. 

Lying on his back, Akihiko stared dreamily at the ceiling, drunk on happiness. His left hand had permanently lodged itself in Minato's hair, but the other boy didn't seem to mind. Akihiko carded the strands through his fingers and scratched the scalp lightly, earning a purr from the head on his shoulder.

He had no conception of how much time had passed, other than the deepening shadows and increased haziness in the air. He was in an equal haze himself, content to remain exactly where he was, to take full advantage of their evening free from interruptions. He ghosted his fingertips across the shell of Minato’s ear. With typical impassivity, the other boy didn’t even twitch. 

A curious thought floated into Akihiko’s mind.

“Hey Minato.”

“Hmm?” Minato was nestled closely into Akihiko's neck and didn’t want to move. At the _very_ least, not until his right arm fell asleep.

“Is this a social link?” 

“No,” he mumbled, snuggling closer and wrapping his left arm over Akihiko's chest. “I'd know by now if it was.”

“Okay,” shrugged Akihiko agreeably. 

A moment later, he cocked his head. “But...why not? What makes something turn into a social link?”

“Don’t ask me,” answered Minato, his long-suffering words muffled by fabric. “I never know until the dramatic yelling starts.”

“Dramatic…?”

“Don’t ask.”

Akihiko breathed half a laugh but complied with the request. Minato squeezed his chest in thanks, pleased he hadn’t had to move. Akihiko patted his head fondly in response. 

However, the thought had taken root, pulling him out of his blissful state. The silence began to feel awkward rather than peaceful. Akihiko chewed on his lip.

Finally the words burst out of him. “I just, thought it would be cool. If I was one.”

The subtext on that statement was enough to raise Minato's head. He propped his chin up his right hand and gazed probingly down at Akihiko.

Akihiko added hurriedly, “So I could help improve your personas, I mean!”

“And _not_ so I'd spend all my free time with you?” teased Minato.

Akihiko blushed.

Minato poked him with his free elbow. “Maybe I want to do that anyway,” he said with a grin. 

“Though perhaps not at school,” he added thoughtfully. “Our fan clubs would _lose their minds_ if they figured THIS out.” A laugh bubbled out of him at the gruesome mental image.

“That’s not what I meant,” retorted Akihiko. “I was just hoping that I'd...maybe be a part of —” He bit off the rest of his sentence. 

“Look, I don't want to be a distraction,” he restarted. “Keep you from doing things you need to be doing. 

“This was originally supposed to be about your social links.”

“Hey. Listen to yourself,” interjected Minato. “Social links are something I _have_ to do. You’re better than that, you’re a _choice_.”

Minato leaned in closer. “We _did_ talk about my social links,” he asserted, his voice quiet but insistent. “And your advice was to find something that makes me happy — something for myself, separate from my responsibilities. So if I declare that to be YOU, then you're supposed to shut up and let me be happy, okay?”

Akihiko flushed but eventually nodded in agreement, a bashful grin breaking over his face.

Satisfied, Minato flopped down again, half against Akihiko's side, half on it, using his shoulder as a pillow.

Akihiko squirmed against the sudden dead weight, wrestling his left arm out until it broke free behind Minato. Minato let out a soft huff at being jostled, but settled back contentedly when the arm wrapped up over his shoulders to pull him closer. 

Several quiet moments passed. Minato's fingers combed serene patterns along Akihiko's collarbone.

“I don’t know, though,” continued Akihiko, apropos of nothing. “It would be pretty awesome if, like, us getting to third base granted you a crazy-powerful boxing persona or something.”

Minato opened his one visible eye and raised the eyebrow skeptically, without lifting his head. “Because you _want_ Junpei and the girls wondering about the resemblance?” 

Akihiko paled. “Okay, maybe I _don’t_ wanna be a social link.”

“Good.” Minato tilted forward to kiss the tip of his nose. “And I promise to keep choosing you, even if you aren't one.” 

He paused and then smirked. “...As long as you’re okay with me seeing Chihiro on the side! And Yuko, and Maya, and Kenji, and the booksellers...”

Akihiko groaned, cutting off the sing-song list. “Your life is insane.”

Minato flopped onto his back next to his senpai. “Tell me about it.”

Akihiko immediately rolled towards him, bringing their faces close again.

“Hey,” he said, nudging Minato with his shoulder. “...Thanks for sharing it with me.”

Minato's blinding smile outshone the setting sun.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed! It's nice to give these two some happiness, however rare that is in the Persona universe. ; )


End file.
